Murders rise across Florida; other crime down in first half of 2016

The number of murders in Florida rose during the first half of 2016 even without counting the deadly mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, according to statistics released Monday. Most other crimes fell.

The number of murders as counted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement went from 487 during the first six months of 2015 to 561 during the same period this year.

That's a 15 percent increase — 5 percent not including the June 12 Pulse attack, which left 49 people dead and at least 68 injured. It was the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history.